The Taj Mahal is one of the worlds most well-known pieces of architecture, and seeing it in person is just as impressive as you think it will be. We certainly took our fair share of the standard straight-on photo from the beginning of the gardens, but we also liked the views you get as you peek out massive doorways of the mosques that sit on either side of the Taj Mahal.
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Photo Friday – The Taj Mahal, India
31 AugPhoto Friday – Taking Salt Flat Photos in Bolivia
24 Aug
We’ve seen a lot of optical illusion type photos taken in the Salt Flats of Uyuni that come out terribly fuzzy, so we thought we’d share with you how we got ours to be relatively clear.
In the photo above, Bryan looks like he is about to eat Kristin. To get a shot like this Kristin had to be far enough away from Bryan to appear small enough to sit on the spoon. You can eyeball this and have the person in the background move as necessary. Whoever is taking the photo needs to be down on the ground, relative to whoever is in the foreground of the shot. From here it’s just a matter of lining them up so that she appears to be all the way on the spoon instead of just above, or below it. In some cases it’s easier for the photographer to move, in others you can adjust the subjects slightly.
The real trick, however, is getting all the subject to be in focus. To accomplish this we used the manual settings on our cameras, though really you just need to be able to adjust the aperture. We set the aperture to a high number (the higher the number, the smaller the opening that lets the light in) and then let the camera set the shutter speed. In the first photo, we had the aperture at f29, with a 1/60 shutter speed. We took 8 or 10 photos, adjusting the focus slightly in each one until we were happy. Sometimes it works to focus somewhere in between the subjects, other times it works better to focus on either the front or the back subject. At this point I can’t remember what worked best in each photo, but just take loads and you’ll be sure to get at least a few that turn out.
For some, like the jumping shots with the guidebook, the photographer has to get right down onto the ground in order for the effect to work correctly.
Again, the key for us seemed to be getting the aperture at a high setting, with a slower shutter speed. For the jump shot we used f25 with a 1/80 shutter speed.
Good luck, and don’t forget to bring some props!
Photo Friday – Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
17 Aug*Right now we should be getting ready to cross the Thorung La Pass on the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. Cross your fingers for us, this sucker is nearly 18,000 feet!*
The Dome of the Rock, in Jerusalem, is particularly gorgeous because of its vibrant tile-work in the midst of the white stone buildings that surround it. We’re always blown away by the tile and mosaic work that is common in Islamic architecture, and this is one of the few buildings that is decorated on the outside just as intricately as most others are on the inside.
Photo Friday – Baha’i Gardens in Haifa, Israel
10 Aug
* Right now we should be somewhere around Jagat on the Annapurna Circuit, in Nepal*
The Baha’i Gardens in Haifa, Israel surround the Shrine of the Bab, the resting place of the Prophet-Herald of the Baha’i faith. There are 19 separate terraces of gardens, stretching from the foot of Mount Carmel to nearly the top. There are only 3 sections that are open to the general public without a guide, and while they are lovely, they are very small. We decided to take the hour-long free guided tour so we could walk through the entire length of the garden, and that proved to be a fantastic choice. Our guide was very informative regarding the origins of the Baha’i faith, and we learned quite a lot about the foundations of the faith, and the basic beliefs of its followers.
Photo Friday – The Monastery at Petra, in Jordan
3 AugThe Monastery is truly massive. See that blob below the main doorway? That’s a person!
There is no doubt that the main attraction at Petra, just outside of Wadi Musa in Jordan, is the incredible stone Treasury building. However, we’d like to argue that the massive monastery is just as impressive, and if you come during shoulder season as we did, you might have it nearly all to yourselves. Both buildings have been carved right into the sides of the mountains that surround the area, and both will absolutely take your breath away. The Monastery is high on a hill at the end of the tourist section of Petra, and getting there will require that you haul yourself up somewhere around 850 stone stairs. We made it without too much of a struggle in the oppressive mid-day heat of late June, though we imagine it’s probably much more pleasant in the early morning, or during the winter.
As an alternative, you can hire a horse or a donkey to cart you most of the way up. If you must go this route, I’d advise you to chose your vendor carefully since we saw more than one animal being openly mistreated, and we even witnessed one man punching an uncooperative horse in the face.
Photo Friday – Feeling Blue In Jodhpur, India
27 Jul
We’ve spent the last few days wandering around Jodhpur, India, which is often referred to as the “Blue City” because so many of the buildings in the area around the old fort have been painted blue. The most common reason people give as to why this particular color was chosen is that it keeps the bugs away. Whatever the reason, it’s very cool to walk around in a blue neighborhood, and even better to get an expansive view like the one from the top of the fort.
Photo Friday – Ajanta Caves in India
20 Jul
The Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are located about 100 kilometers outside of Aurrangabad, India (it takes about 7 hours on a train to get to Aurrangabad from Mumbai) and while the oldest of the caves date back to the 2nd century BCE, they weren’t widely known until 1819 when a British tiger hunting party stumbled across them. The caves are a series of 30 rock-cut caves that depict Buddhist religious art. They range from small and very simple to multi-storied ornate spaces. They’ve been fairly well-preserved, with some of the interior cave paintings still in decent condition.
Photo Friday – Delicious India
13 Jul
We’ve only been in India for a week, but already it feels like we’ve had a million food adventures! Coming from New York, you’d think we would have more experience with this cuisine, but the truth is we really know almost nothing about Indian food. As such, we’ve been ordering at random every time we need to eat, and we haven’t been disappointed yet! This week’s photo is thali, which is like a sampler with all kinds of different flavors. They have been our favorite because you get to taste a bunch of different things and they usually include something sweet like the honey soaked ball of bread or dough or something you see in this one. Delicious!
Photo Friday – Tribal Face Paint in Ecuador
6 Jul
During our Ecuador jungle trek we had part of a morning to visit the local shaman. While we were waiting for him to arrive, our guide took the opportunity to have a little fun with a local plant that has been traditionally for face painting. When ripe, the seeds inside of the flower pod are an amazingly bright red. Some local tribes use the coloring as face paint, others use it to color their hair. Justin was a good sport and agreed to have his face painted, and luckily he had no trouble washing it off at the end of the day.
Photo Friday – Oh (not so) Little Town of Bethlehem
29 Jun
While we were in Jerusalem, we thought we’d take a little dip into the Palestinian Territories to visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. We took a local bus, which dropped us off just outside the center of what is now quite a bustling little city. As we made our way through the markets and down to Manger Square, we came across this lovely little road. Contrary to what the news might have you believe, there are at least parts of the Palestinian Territories that are perfectly lovely, and this is one of them. The town’s building are made almost exclusively with the same beautiful white rock as in Jerusalem. The streets are clean, and the people were very kind. We had no trouble finding our way to the church and even stopped to have a beer at a little cafe on the way back to the bus. The day definitely helped to remind us that while things make the news for a reason, a place can’t be defined only by what you see on the television.
The Parallel Life 